A lot has happened in the telephone industry over the past 25 years or so. Before 1980 AT&T was the dominant phone company throughout the United States. Lawmakers changed that in the early 1980's when AT&T was declared an illegal monopoly and force it to breakup into smaller "baby bells". That trend continued through the 1990's with deregulation which allowed many competitive service providers (CLEC's) to come on the scene, offering greater choices and lower pricing. But now the trend is reversing with mergers occurring in the industry that are, once again, creating mega-phone companies and squeezing the smaller carriers out.

• Choices.  Twenty-plus years ago, there were not many phone service options available to New York residents.  When you moved into a new home or apartment, you contacted New York Bell and had a land-line phone (a term not yet in play at the time) installed.  There were no package plans to choose from and few options for long distance service.   What you saw was what you got.   To say that consumer now have more choices for the long-distance service is like saying Times Square is a bit more family-friendly than it used to be.
• Price.  When the phone companies deregulated, it opened up the door for competitive pricing among long-distance carriers.  With the advent of cell phone use and other calling options, prices have fallen even lower.    Consumers can now even engage in pay-as-you go calling plans that have no monthly requirements at all.  Compare that to decades ago when people had to wait until after 7pm, lest they be charged exorbitant long distance fees.
• More Cell Phone Calling Options.  The advent of cell phone technology has given people more freedom to communicate with another and choose between different plans and services.  New York City has more cell phones per person than any other city in the United States, as many have decided to forgo their traditional landline phones in exchange for the flexibility of cell service.
• VOIP Service.  Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service was not even invented twenty years ago, but now stands to be one of the fastest growing phone options of the next decade.  VOIP service offers a variety of advantages for consumers and businesses, including:

• The ability to use the Internet as a calling platform
• A chance to make free phone calls to other individuals in the network
• Affordable pricing and cellular options for those with WI-FI friendly phones
• A chance to work with progressive telecommunications companies that are more focused on customer service than many of their predecessors.